He'd come back this time not only to visit Bruce, but also to train Clark.
As the most promising Kryptonian, Clark had been continuously absorbing sunlight on Earth, and his body had already undergone earth-shaking changes.
Now was the perfect time to train Clark, helping the kid master proper fighting techniques.
Marcus was very clear about Clark's future. As a powerful Superman with a body of steel, his fighting skills were absolutely terrible.
If it weren't for his overwhelming abilities, with those combat skills, he might not even beat a street thug.
So Clark's combat training was something Marcus was determined to accomplish.
Possessing such incredible power but not being able to use it properly was simply wasting that potential.
Regarding Marcus's decision, Alfred couldn't say anything. After all, Marcus had his own goals and knew what he needed to do.
"Will you be coming back?"
"Well... probably not, at least not anytime soon."
Marcus replied that he planned to teach Clark for a while and then leave directly. The Avengers' world had entered an explosive period, and many events would happen one after another. He didn't want to miss those things.
"Well, looks like I'll have to prepare a big farewell dinner."
"Remember to take the life serum. I'm still waiting for the tea you'll make when I come back next time."
Those words made Alfred pause for a moment, then he returned to normal and walked toward the house.
Marcus stood up from his rocking chair and looked at the two people who were frustrated because they couldn't tap into void power, and laughed.
"Come here, you two. Let me tell you something."
Hearing Marcus's words, both hurried over to him.
The pair were full of doubts now. They'd obviously followed Marcus's instructions, but couldn't summon even a trace of void power.
Marcus's fingertips lit up slightly, and void energy condensed there, forming an energy thread that swayed before them.
"See that? This is the void energy you're trying to access, but it's not easy to control this power.
Void energy is different from other energies—it's a force full of death and corruption."
As he spoke, Marcus drew upon the hell energy he'd already integrated into his suit.
Black power appeared in his hands, and the emanations made both of them frown constantly.
"You can feel it—this is hell's power, and void energy is even more corrupting than hell's power.
To control this force, you need a strong mind and unshakeable will.
Although the Janus Key makes you immune to void energy's negative effects, if you want to use void energy in combat, you still need to strengthen your will and work hard to master the Vazarin school."
Under Marcus's explanation, the two finally understood what he meant.
Void energy was too dangerous—this was the only way to protect them.
What they had to do now was constantly practice Vazarin school fundamentals. As long as they could master the basics, they could begin controlling void energy.
"This void energy line should help you as a training tool. With this, your chances of sensing the void will be much higher."
Leaving the energy thread for them, Marcus was about to leave but suddenly stopped and looked at the pair.
"I'll give you a hint—this isn't difficult, as long as you're willing to believe."
With that, he walked toward the house. He had to pack his things.
Bruce and Selina sat on the garden's stone bench, seriously considering Marcus's words.
What did he mean by "willing to believe"?
The two couldn't figure out what Marcus wanted them to believe in.
Still confused, they continued practicing Vazarin school basics. They stared at the energy line before them, trying to determine if they were doing it right based on the thread's reaction.
The energy line floated in front of them like real silk, swaying with the wind without any response at all.
After a long while, the energy line suddenly changed. The thread that had been drifting with the breeze suddenly extended, pointing toward Selina like a compass needle.
"Selina, you did it!" Bruce exclaimed in surprise.
Although he didn't know how Selina had succeeded, Bruce was still excited. Maybe he could learn from her success.
At Bruce's surprised voice, Selina opened her eyes and looked at the energy line.
The moment she opened her eyes, the energy thread returned to normal. If she hadn't seen which direction it had pointed, she would have thought Bruce was just trying to cheer her up.
"I really succeeded?"
"Yeah, you did it, Selina! How'd you manage that?"
Bruce was incredibly curious—he hadn't been able to get the hang of it for so long, but Selina had done it easily.
Faced with Bruce's question, Selina, who was usually straightforward, became shy.
"I don't know either. Just now I was thinking of our practice as magic and kind of daydreaming."
As magic?
Magic...
After hearing Selina's answer, Bruce fell into deep thought. After a moment, he suddenly clapped his hands:
"I get it! The teacher said 'willing to believe'—that's what he meant!"
His words sparked Selina's curiosity. Although she'd been first to activate the energy line, she didn't understand the principle.
Confused, Selina looked at Bruce, waiting for his explanation.
"When the teacher said 'willing to believe,' he actually wanted us to believe in all of this. Just like how you treated practice as magic and believed magic exists—that's how the energy line was activated."
Explaining to Selina, Bruce quietly watched the swaying energy thread.
Before long, the energy line changed and pointed straight at Bruce.
"Just as I thought!"
Bruce looked at Selina in amazement—his understanding had been correct. That's what their teacher had meant.
Now that Marcus's words were confirmed, Bruce began guiding Selina so she could also activate the void energy line consistently.
After seeing the energy thread point at her, Selina hugged Bruce in excitement—she finally understood how it worked.
"We did it! Now we need to use the Janus Keys to channel void energy."
When they said this, both hesitated. Marcus had already told them about void energy's dangers. If they wanted to use void power, they'd have to face its corruption.
Although Marcus had said the Janus Keys neutralized void energy's influence, they still decided to stay cautious and experiment with just tiny amounts of energy.
As the two settled down, the Janus Keys on their bodies emitted faint light, and a small amount of void power condensed before them.
They both felt the enormous power contained in that tiny bit of void energy.
"So this is what the teacher faces every day."